September, harvest time brings lots of delicious and nutritious fruits and vegetables to our tables. Apple Season is one of the favourite seasons because apples are so versatile, inexpensive and everyone loves them.
Apples are part of the Rosaceae family. There are over 7000 varieties of apples all over the world. They are grown in a temperate climate across the world and have been for more than 3000 years!
There are many varieties of Apples and some can be used with specific recipes in mind Below is a list of Apple varieties and their uses:
Applesauce or Canning: Golden Delicious, Paula Red, Rhode Island Greening and Spartan.
Baked: Braeburn, Gala, Gravenstein, Rome Beauty and York Imperial.
Pies: Granny Smith, Jonagold, Macintosh, Northern Spy, Romes and Winesap.
Raw or Fresh Juice: Baldwin, Braeburn, Cortland, Criterion, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Jonagold, Jonathan, Lady Apple, Macoun, Macintosh, Newton Pippin, Northern Spy, Pink Lady, Red Delicious, Rhode Island Greening, Stayman, Winesap, and York Imperial.
Because of all the varieties available from all over the world, apples are available all year round, with a peak season from September to November.
Select firm and bright colored fruit with smooth and shiny skin. Avoid bruised, soft or shriveled fruit. It should have a fresh scent. The color of the apple depends on the variety, from yellow to red. Also, the sweetness or tartness ranges on the variety as well.
Storage: Keep at room temperature for a few days. Place unwashed fruit in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for a longer period of time. If you prefer crisp apples, then apples will maintain their crispness better in the refrigerator.
Spices: Allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, ginger, mace and nutmeg.
Preparation: Depending on how you enjoy your apples, they can be eaten with the skins on or off! If you are slicing them to be eaten later, dip them in a little water with lemon juice added to keep them from oxidizing (turning brown).
Apples are such commonly-consumed fruits that it's easy to overlook their amazing and unique health benefits. Apples combine certain nutrients in a way that sets them apart from all other fruits and makes them a food of choice for achieving several health goals. Here's what apples can do for you when it comes to your health:
Apples help lower bad cholesterol and high blood pressure. They help protect the arteries and the heart. Apples also boosts good cholesterol, and help stabilize blood sugar. They have an ingredient that works as an appetite suppressant, and contains flavonoids that are cancer-fighting antioxidants. Because of their high fiber content, apples can help relieve constipation, but applesauce helps relieve diarrhea! Apples also help remove plaque from our teeth.
Reduced risk of lung cancer in women, has been associated with daily consumption of apples, and apples were the only specific fruit that showed this beneficial association with lung cancer.
Unlike grapefruit, grapefruit juice, citrus fruits as a group, or fruits in general, apples have shown up in several studies as a significant way to lower asthma risk. In fact, apples have stood out amongst other fruits when it comes to general support of lung function and lung health. Flavonoids unique to apple - including phloridzin - are thought to play a potentially key role in the special ability of apples to support lung health.
They contain sufficient amounts of both Vitamins A & C are low in calories and have zero fat!
These crisp delicious favourites have been used in many tried and true family Favourite recipes for centuries. Do you have afavourite Apple recipe? Mine's Apple Crisp! Delicious!
